Students are expected to work on the thesis throughout their entire second year. For the fall term, the major assignment is the submission of a prospectus to the thesis adviser. The prospectus is designed to ensure that a student and faculty adviser are explicit about the thesis topic, to promote continued progress during the fall term, and to increase the likelihood of a final high-quality product. These prospectus guidelines, therefore, are a minimum requirement. Furthermore, given a student’s ongoing work, the prospectus is considered more of a “progress report.”

A first draft of the prospectus is due to the thesis adviser no later than November 2, with the full prospectus due to the thesis adviser and school registrar on December 1. The prospectus should be completed using the guidelines below. In addition, it is expected that students include proper citations and references when preparing the prospectus. More information regarding proper citing of sources can be found on the Yale Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning website at https://poorvucenter.yale.edu/writing/writing-resources-for-graduate-students/prospectus-writing#humanities-prospectuses. Please note that the preferred thesis for students is one that is in the style and length of a publishable, peer-reviewed paper.

Please refer to Yale Poorvu Center Publishing website https://poorvucenter.yale.edu/writing/writing-resources-for-graduate-students for publication guidelines.

In addition, students must complete the following requirements:

1. To meet satisfactory progress requirements as determined by the thesis adviser, second reader, and thesis coordinator, students must submit the first draft and final version of the prospectus by the fall deadlines, and the first draft and final version of the thesis by the spring deadlines.
2. Attend the thesis workshops (one in the fall and two in the spring) designed to guide students through the research, drafting, and revision process.
3. Deliver two presentations:
   1. Present the initial thesis proposal for peer review and feedback at the fall workshop
   2. Present thesis progress, findings, and results, and deliver the final thesis presentation at the spring workshops
4. Obtain Yale IRB approval or an exemption, if conducting human-subjects research. 

Timeline for M.P.P. Thesis

Fall Term

September 9 Deadline for submitting a thesis enrollment request form, with thesis adviser’s approval, to the assistant dean for graduate education

September 11 Deadline for enrolling in GLBL 9990

October 9 Deadline to apply for research support funding

November 2 First draft of thesis prospectus due to thesis adviser (see Thesis Prospectus Format, below, for expected content) 

December 7 Final draft of thesis prospectus due to primary thesis adviser and school registrar

Spring Term

March 22 First draft of thesis due to primary thesis adviser and school registrar

Mid-April (approximately) Thesis presentation event, open to the Jackson community and guests. Note that the presentation does not factor into the final grading assessment.

May 3 Final thesis to be submitted to thesis adviser for grading

May 14 Final thesis grade is due

A mark of Y is assigned for the completion of the first (fall) term of the year-long thesis course and will be converted to a standard grade once the second (spring) term is successfully completed. Students will receive term-completed credit for each term of the course at the completion of the second term of the course. No credit and grade will be awarded if a student withdraws from either term of the thesis course or does not make satisfactory progress on the thesis, as determined by the primary thesis adviser.

Thesis Prospectus Format

1. Title and primary thesis adviser 
2. Research question. In three to five paragraphs, state the research question or problem, objectives, and scope.
3. Literature review. Provide, outline, or summarize overview of existing literature and connect to the research question.
4. Research design/data and methodology. Describe the research design, data collection, and analysis methods.
5. Bibliography and references. Using a minimum of ten citations, provide a comprehensive list of all sources cited in the prospectus.

Thesis Organization

The thesis must be assembled as follows:

1. Title page. The title cannot exceed sixty characters.
2. A one-page, double-spaced abstract. The abstract is the final statement of the problem addressed by the thesis and incorporates the most significant insights attained.
3. Acknowledgments (if desired)
4. Table of contents
5. List of tables (if any)
6. List of figures (if any)
7. Body of the thesis. ​The following organization of the body of the thesis is recommended:
   1. Introduction
      1. Brief statement of specific objectives of the investigation
      2. Statement of general problem addressed by the thesis
      3. Elaboration of objectives and/or hypotheses, including the relation to the general problem
   2. Review of studies relevant to the problem
   3. Research design
      1. Specific research design and method
      2. Reasons for selection
      3. Method of analysis, including justification for statistical tests
   4. Presentation and analysis of findings. ​This is the major portion of the thesis. The significance of the findings should be discussed and an assessment made of their applicability to current theory and practice. Analysis and discussion may be presented together in one section or in two separate sections.
   5. Conclusions
      1. Summary of findings
      2. Limitations of findings and other limitations of the study
      3. Conclusions based on the study
      4. Relevant recommendations for program development or further research
8. References. A list of the pertinent references consulted in preparing the thesis should be included. Any standard and consistent format for presentation of footnotes and references is acceptable.
9. Appendix or appendices

Satisfactory Thesis Progress

Students not making satisfactory progress toward their thesis in the fall, may withdraw on or before December 1 without a note on their transcript.

Thesis Pending (Delayed Submission of Thesis)

Students who have not received a final grade from the thesis adviser and submitted their thesis electronically by May 14 will be considered thesis pending and will receive a grade of Incomplete for the thesis. Students who are thesis pending will not be allowed to participate in the Commencement ceremony and will not receive the M.P.P. degree until all requirements are complete.

Students who are thesis pending are given one year to complete the thesis without penalty. During this time, students in thesis pending status must be registered for continuous study each term of the regular academic year until the thesis requirement has been completed (except in the case of an approved leave of absence). Students may not register for regular course work while on continuous study status. Students are permitted to be on continuous study for a maximum of two terms. The fee for continuous study is $750 per term. Students registered for continuous study are not eligible for financial aid.

At the end of the one-year period, the grade of Incomplete will be changed to a grade of F if the thesis has not been submitted. The student will then be required to register for two Global Affairs elective courses earning a final grade of H in each, to satisfy the HP average requirement, and pay a continuous registration fee.

Publication Guidelines

Upon submission of the final, publication-ready thesis to the thesis coordinator and the Jackson registrar, the thesis will be published and made publicly accessible through EliScholar and ProQuest. The thesis also may be published independently. It also may be published under joint or multiple authorship if advisers or others have contributed significantly to the final product (e.g., expanding theory or techniques of analysis in ways beyond the usual role of an adviser). Supplying the database does not entitle the supplier to authorship. When students work on sponsored research, the thesis adviser and the student should sign a letter of agreement on funding, use of database or materials, deadlines, publication rights, and authorship before work on the thesis begins.